Ten tools every tractor owner should keep in the shop

You do not need a professional shop to keep a tractor running, but a handful of quality tools will make every job faster and safer. Start with a good socket set in both metric and SAE sizes, a breaker bar and a torque wrench you trust.

A grease gun with a flexible hose and a spare coupler is essential, as is a filter wrench that fits your oil and hydraulic filters. Add a set of quality jack stands rated well above your tractor's weight, and never work under a machine supported only by a jack or a loader.

A multimeter will save you hours when chasing electrical gremlins, and a battery tester or maintainer keeps you from being stranded on cold mornings. A drain pan large enough for your hydraulic system is worth buying once.

Round it out with a creeper, a bright magnetic work light and a pry bar set. None of it is glamorous, but all of it gets used.